Dive and Stay Deals in Diani: Your Perfect Combo at Allamanda Boutique Hostel & Hibiscus Apartments

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If you’re planning to explore Diani’s stunning underwater world, now’s the perfect time to make the most of it—with amazing dive and stay deals at Allamanda Hostel and Hibiscus Apartments! Whether you’re on a budget or looking for a more spacious private retreat, we’ve got something for everyone.

Allamanda Hostel: Dive and Stay with a Discount

Opening July 1st, Allamanda Hostel is Diani’s newest budget-friendly option for travellers looking for comfort, community, and coastal charm. Located just 800 meters from the beach, it’s the ideal place to relax, connect, and recharge between diving adventures.

And here’s the best part—get 10% off your accommodation when you dive with Diving the Crab. Allamanda offers comfortable rooms and a relaxed atmosphere, with options ranging from $15 to $50 per night. Whether you’re staying in one of our private rooms or dorms, you’ll find a welcoming space to unwind after a day of exploring the underwater wonders of Diani.

Hibiscus Apartments: Exclusive Discounts for Divers

For those seeking a more private retreat, Hibiscus Apartments offers budget-friendly options without compromising on comfort. Whether you’re looking for a 1-bedroom studio, 2-bedroom apartment, or even a 3-bedroom house with a private pool, Hibiscus has something for everyone.

Prices at Hibiscus range from $40 to $80 per person, per night, depending on the option you choose. The apartments are the perfect choice for couples or small groups, while the house offers plenty of space for larger groups or families. Stay at Hibiscus and get 10% off your diving with Diving the Crab, making your adventure even more affordable.

Allamanda and Hibiscus Apartments both offer fantastic, budget-conscious accommodations—whether you’re staying in a cozy dorm or looking for a spacious home for your group, you’ll find the perfect base for your Diani dive trip.

T&Cs apply—please enquire for more details!

Ready to dive into paradise? Book your stay and dive with us today for a unique Diani adventure!

Scuba Diving Internship in Kenya

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I first came to Diving the Crab in 2019 and completed my Junior Scuba diver. I’m now back doing my Divemaster internship. In my first month I finished my Open Water course,and jumped straight into the Advanced Open Water course, excited to dive deeper and improve my skills. Diani’s underwater world is stunning, and every dive just makes me want to learn more.

In addition to diving, I’ve been involved in so many different things over the past month. I start my mornings by helping carry tanks to the boat and getting everything ready for the day’s dives. I’ve had the chance to go on several fun dives, which has been an awesome way to gain confidence in the water. I’ve also spent time at reception, learning how to check in guests and make sure they’re all set for their dives.

Quinn - visiting Diani on one of his earlier dive trips.

The team at Diving the Crab is amazing. Everyone has been so supportive, showing me the ropes and making me feel like part of the family from day one. I’ve helped with social media, maintenance, and even marine restoration projects, which has been really rewarding.

Diani is just as incredible as the people here. The beaches, the marine life—it’s all so beautiful. It’s the perfect place to dive and to be part of an amazing team

I’m super grateful for everything I’ve learned and for the chance to be part of such an awesome crew at Diving the Crab. I’m looking forward to continuing my internship and eventually becoming a professional diver.

~ Quinn

Kids Scuba Diving Kenya

Introduce your kids to scuba diving

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If you are heading to Kenya with your kids, and are worried there may not be enough for them to do, introduce them to scuba diving. For kids aged 8+, Diving the Crab offers a wide range of diving options to create unforgettable underwater adventures!

Starting at the age of 8, kids can take their first dip into the underwater world with the PADI Bubblemaker. They will be in safe and shallow waters, to a maximum depth of 2 meters, to experience the unique sensation of being weightless while making bubbles!

As they hit 10, kids can embark on an exciting journey with the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course. They will learn the essential skills to explore the mesmerizing reefs up to 12 meters deep. Once certified, they can sign in for the PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver course.

Once they reach 12, the adventure deepens as they become a PADI Junior Open Water Diver, allowing them to dive to depths of 18 meters. The PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver course comes next, certifying them to explore down to a maximum depth of 21 meters. For those who can’t get enough of the underwater world, they can enroll in the PADI Junior Rescue Diver course, preparing them to handle emergency situations with confidence.

At 15 years old, kids can embrace the full certification of a PADI Open Water Diver. If they already have a junior certification, it automatically transfers, and they can simply order a replacement card. With the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, they will dive even deeper, to a maximum depth of 30 meters.

Once they turn 18, new doors open as they can enroll in the PADI Divemaster course – the first step towards becoming a PADI professional. And if they are ready to take on the role of an instructor, the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor course is within their grasp.

Aside from keeping your kids entertained and happy during your holiday, introducing them to scuba diving allows the whole family to spend some quality time together. Scuba diving is a shared passion that brings kids and parents together, creating lasting bonds and lifetime memories across the globe.

Contact us for more information on kids diving activities before you arrive!

Scuba Diving Kenya

Unforgettable diving experiences with Diving the Crab

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If you are looking for unforgettable diving experiences, Diving the Crab is the leading dive centre in Kenya, offering uparalleled services and facilities. Here is why…

Premium location
Diving the Crab is located on Diani Beach, along the Indian Ocean. With its clear, warm waters, Diani Beach is a popular destination for divers who want to explore the vast underwater world that Kenya has to offer.

PADI 5 star Dive Centre
Diving the Crab offers fun dives for certified divers as well as a full range of courses, from Discover Scuba Diving right the way up to Divemaster.

Best dive spots in Kenya
Within a 40 minute ride there are nearly 30 dive sites, for divers of all levels. They offer a wide variety of corals, fish life and, of course, the chance for big fish encounters, such as whalesharks (from November to February). Add into the mix the diversity of sites with colourful reefs, drop offs, overhangs and even wrecks!

Friendly and highly qualified staff
All our instructors at Diving the Crab are highly skilled and experienced, offering divers the best possible guidance and support. Our instructors also have a local knowledge of the reefs, ensuring safe fun dives to all our divers!

First-class services and facilities
Go diving with a peace of mind… Diving the Crab offers a free pick up and drop off from and to your hotel.
The dive centre also provides divers with top-quality gear. For those who prefer to bring their own gear, the dive centre offers spacious storage facilities.

When choosing Diving the Crab, you know you will have an amazing diving experience, encountering an abundant marine life guided by friendly and highly qualified instructors, and enjoying first-class services and facilities.

The team at Diving The crab are now fully vaccinated

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As part of our ongoing commitment to providing you with a safe and top-quality diving experience, we’re delighted to announce that 100% of the team here at the Diving The Crab have been fully vaccinated for COVID 19.

Diving The Crab offers incredible diving all along Kenya’s famous Diani Beach, exploring the incredible coral reefs, wrecks and underwater formations that make up this beautiful area. Throughout the year divers can experience encounters with turtles, whale sharks many types of reef fish and pelagic plus, if they are very lucky spot humpback whales as they migrate through the region.

We will continue to follow the guidance and safety advice from the Ministry of Health, and to follow the COVID protocols we have in place at the dive center, that have enabled us to continue to provide excellent diving opportunities whilst also maintain the safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members.

Along with the team at the dive center, our partners at The Nomad Beach Resort, The Sands at Chale Island, Nomad Beach Bar & Restaurant, Lazy Days Private Beach House and the Thinking Green project have all also been fully vaccinated.

Scuba Diving Diani Beach Kenya

How to ID our Turtles

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Turtles are incredible creatures, and the waters off Diani Beach are a fantastic place to find them. During your dives with Diving the Crab you are likely to spot turtles on many of our sits, especially Galu, which has a famous turtle point, where divers can often see many turtles during a single dive.

With so many turtles living off the Kenyan coast, it is no surprise that the area is important for turtle research and Diving the Crab works with the Local Marine Education Centre to help monitor and protect the turtle population.

Each turtle can be identified by the unique facial scales found on either side of a turtle’s head. These, much like a human fingerprint, don’t change with age and when photographed can be used to help identify individual turtles. To date, the Marine Education Centre have identified 478 Green Sea Turtles and 62 Hawksbill turtles! They also monitored 72 nests across Diani Beach during 2020, ensuring the next generation of turtles has the best start possible.

Whilst it may be easy to tell one turtle from another based on their faces – to know if it is a male or female you need to look at their tail. In the world of turtles’ size does matter, and when trying to figure out the sex of a turtle, the males have much longer tails than the females.

So next time you go diving in Diani, pay close attention to the facial pattern and size of the turtles you encounter!

If you’d like to submit a turtle sighting, please contact the team at marinecenter@thesandskenya.com with the date and location of the sighting and, ideally, a photo.

Learn to dive in Kenya

Learn to dive in Kenya

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With warm water temperatures all year round, undamaged reefs, an abundance of fish life, an annual whaleshark migration as well as the chance of seeing dolphins and whales, Kenya’s southern coast offers some incredible scuba diving.

Not only for seasoned professionals, the waters of the Indian Ocean also offer the perfect environment for parents and children (aged 8 or above) to learn how to scuba dive or try diving for the first time. The dedicated, experienced and friendly team at Diving the Crab are here to help you embark on your diving adventure.

We have a full range of options to give diving a try:

1. Try dive in the pool

For you first breaths under the surface, guests at the Nomad Beach Resort boutique hotel on Diani Beach, or The Sands at Chale Island, can join our free of charge “Try Dive” at the pool. If you are unsure as to whether you are going to like the experience, this is the first step.

2. PADI Discover Scuba Diving
The PADI Discover Scuba Diving programme is a great introduction to life in the ocean – without having to sign up for a fully fledged course – and it’s suitable for the whole family (anyone aged 10 and above). During your dive on the reef you may be lucky and swim with one of the community of turtles that live around Diani Beach’s reefs. There is no study required, but also no certification at the end of the programme.

3. PADI Scuba Diver Course
For those with just a couple of days to spare, perhaps at the end of a safari break, this course is a good compromise. Once you have completed the first 3 theory sessions, 3 confined water dives and 2 open water dives at a local reef, you will be certified as a PADI Scuba Diver! This allows you to dive to a maximum depth of 12 metres with a PADI professionnal. You can then complete the PADI Open Water Diver course any time in the future.

4. PADI Open Water Course
This is the most popular diving course in the world, taking 3 to 4 days to complete. At the end of course, successful divers will be be able to dive with a certified buddy to a maximum depth of 18 metres.

If you want to save time on the theory parts of the course while on holiday, the PADI eLearning program allows online study, freeing up the time to do the dive sessions during your holiday in Kenya!

If you would like to find out more about learning to dive, and exploring the amazing reefs around our resorts, please contact us here.

A Macro Lover’s Dream Part 2

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As mentioned before, our unspoiled coral reefs are a Macro Lover’s Dream. Our sites are swarmed with creatures of lesser stature that master the technique of disguise. Catching sight of these petite and well-camouflaged fish can be extremely rewarding for divers.

Although macro life can be found anywhere, we have particular sites where we can pretty much guarantee a find.

MAFTAHA Reef

This site is known especially for its huge pinnacle with schools of glassfish. All around them, ambush predators such as Bearded Scorpionfish, Leaffish or Stonefish are waiting for their time to hunt. Also Moray-eels, red Snappers and even Groupers are coming above and use it as a cleaning station. Cleaner-wrasses, different kinds of Hinge-Beak and Cleaner shrimps are always ready to give a quick scrub. Other common residents to the area include multiple Nudibranchs and Flatworms.

GALU Reef

Yet another fantastic macro site! Located around what we call the ‘Cleaning Station,’ is the Lindas Flatworm-one of the most beautiful flatworms of all. For those with an eye for macro fish can easily spot the Hermit crabs, Leaf fish, and Scorpion Fish located along the base of our cleaning station. Galu is a site known for the slightly rarer fish such as the Paddled Flap Scorpion Fish, Weedy scorpionfish and Dragon Eels. It’s not often we find the incredible species, so take your time to admire their beauty.

KINONDO Reef

As an underwater peninsula, Kinondo is a huge dive site where macro-life shares space with bigger fish. Offering beautiful coral formations, sand patches, small caves and a nice drop-off, macro lovers will be delighted to find different kinds of Flatworms and Nudibranchs, blue Tang hiding in Acropora, Dragonnets, Sandperch, periclimenes or squat Shrimps and of course all kind of Scorpenidae.

Once again, the creatures of lesser stature can be found at every dive site. It requires a certain kind of eye and patience to find them. For those interested in macro photography, pop on over to these sites in particular and let us know what you find!

Dive Site of the Month – Igloo Reef

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A few years ago, we attempted to create an underwater ‘bubble.’ A bubble that was planned for divers to swim inside and take a quick breath. Unfortunately, the physics behind it all, was completely miss-calculated and the project ended up as a failed one.

None the less, Igloo is bustling with macro life. It is one of our top macro sites and has been nominated as dive site of the month due to its new residents-the Weedy Scorpionfish. Alongside the Weedy, our divers have had some incredible encounters with swarms of harmless jelly fish and on the odd occasion, dolphins.

The Weedy Scorpionfish are classified as rare because of their camouflage abilities. They are covered in weed-like appendages, tentacles on the nose and our covered in skin flaps. They belong to the family of Scorpaenidaes. These creatures are usually found south of our mooring line and we tend to spot a maximum of three at a time. Usually, where there is one, there is always another…
For those who wish to know what else can be found at this magnificent site, please check the video below.

Enriched Air Diving: nitrox with Diving the Crab

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Nitrox has become the new trend for divers. It gives them the opportunity to extend their bottom time and due to the higher percentage of oxygen, reduces the risk of decompression sickness. Nitrox offers just the ticket with the chance to lengthen and enhance your diving experience.

Diving the Crab has been diving with Nitrox for over 15 years and we are the only centre in Kenya that provides Nitrox dives and certification. Not only that, but we provide you with the opportunity to combine the Enriched Air Nitrox Course with another, at a cheaper price. Those packages are as follows:

    • Open Water Diver + Enriched Air Nitrox

 

    • Advanced Open Water + Enriched Air Nitrox

 

    Open Water Diver + Advanced Open Water + Enriched Air Nitrox

Longer bottom time, shorter surface intervals, less chance of feeling fatigued… what more could you want to make your time in Kenya’s incredible underwater world even more enjoyable?

What’s more, certified Nitrox divers can use Nitrox free of charge, only at Diving the Crab! Book now and come dive with us!